Man Travels Across The World To See The Buried Belvedere

Updated:
Thursday, June 14, 2007 10:14 PM EDT

Belvedere fever spreads to the other side of the world. Thousands of people will watch Friday night to see what became of Tulsaâ€™s famous buried car. But chances are no one has traveled farther to see the unveiling than Michael Lindmark. News On 6 anchor Omar Villafranca reports Lindmark traveled more than 6,800 miles from his hometown in Sweden to Tulsa, Oklahoma, just to see a piece of American history.

In Sweden, there's a word for people like Lindmark.

"Bieltukig, car crazy," Lindmark said.

Lindmark loves American cars. Not the newer, flashy models, but the older, forgotten ones.

"Mostly 40's and the 50's, I like the curves on the old, big, big cars,â€ he said. "I have a â€˜48 Pontiac and a '67 Skylark convertible."

He first read about Tulsa's buried Belvedere in a Swedish car magazine.

"And there it stood, a small ad of a car that was buried, and I thought that I must see it," Lindmark said.

Lindmark's wife and five daughters know he's crazy about cars. But when he told them he wanted to take a family vacation to the U.S. to see a buried car, they thought he lost his mind.

â€œThey're still calling me crazy,â€ he said. â€œMost of my friends understood why I wanted to see the car, because they know how much I love the American, vintage cars."

It wasn't until Lindmark landed in Tulsa that he learned he needed tickets to see the buried Belvedere in person. He got a little help from his landlord and an anonymous donor scored him a ticket.

"Hopefully I will see a fresh car,â€ Lindmark said.

â€œBut if it has a little damage, are you going to be disappointed?â€ asked News On 6 anchor Omar Villafranca.